This invention relates to promotional video systems, and more particularly, to electronic television program guide systems in which promotional material selection algorithms may be automatically updated.
Promotional video systems allow television cable operators and other television service providers to supply promotional material (e.g., video, audio, graphics, and text promoting a service or television programming) to users in their homes over a dedicated television channel. An illustrative promotional material distribution system is described in McCoy et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/779,713, filed Jan. 1, 1997, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In a promotional environment such as the one described in the McCoy et al. patent application, promotional material is provided by a main facility to a number of cable system headends. The promotional material may be transmitted to the headends as a stream of digital files (e.g., Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) MPEG-1.5X files) or real-time videos over a satellite link, or may be provided on laserdisks that are provided to the headends via a suitable mail carrier.
One type of promotional material distribution system is the so-called passive electronic program guide in which promotional videos and a list of television program listings are distributed to viewers on a dedicated television channel. In one such known passive electronic program guide system, a satellite uplink facility supplies a continuous real-time stream of global promotional videos, a real-time data stream describing the global promotional videos, and a data stream of program listings information to a number of cable system headends. The video stream includes right and left video channels and corresponding audio tracks.
The headends in this passive program guide system have the ability to choose promotional videos from the right and left video channels based on the real-time data stream describing the videos. The videos are selected for distribution according to playlist scripts or promotional philosophies. Playlist scripts are promotional material selection algorithms designed to schedule the distribution of particular types of promotional events. Promotional philosophies are more advanced promotional material selection algorithms that attempt to maximize the return on a promotional event. Promotional philosophies are designed to play promotional events at the time a target audience group is most likely to view them.
The headends generate display screens containing the promotional video from the selected video channel, text or graphics describing the selected video from the real-time data stream, and suitable program listings information. The display screens are distributed over a dedicated television channel to the users served by the headend for display on their televisions.
In a variation on this approach, global promotional videos are also generated by a main facility and stored on laserdisks. The laserdisks are provided to cable system headends via a suitable mail carrier in addition to the real-time stream of videos. Program listings information (e.g., channel line ups, titles, etc.) and/or other program guide data are provided over a serial communications or a satellite link between the main facility and the headends. The global promotional videos are displayed until a xe2x80x9clocal segmentxe2x80x9d occurs. During the xe2x80x9clocal segmentxe2x80x9d the headends select promotional videos from the laserdisks according to a promotional philosophy or playlist script.
In another known promotional material distribution system, promotional videos are generated and stored as MPEG-1.5X files. The MPEG-1.5X files are transmitted to headends in the edge band of a satellite link. The headends select promotional videos according to a promotional philosophy. The selected videos are included in display screens that are sent to a number of users over a dedicated television channel.
In each of these approaches, the headends are typically supplied with a predefined promotional philosophy script by the satellite uplink facility. Promotional material information associated with the promotional material may also be supplied to the headends. The headends select promotional material for distribution when the promotional material information associated with the promotional material meets parameters contained in the promotional philosophy.
It is difficult to predict which promotions and advertisements will actually be selected and distributed by the headends because promotional material is selected dynamically at the headend according to the promotional philosophy or playlist script. Knowing which videos were sent to the users is important for designing effective promotional philosophies and playlist scripts that maximize returns on promotions. Promotional material distribution systems typically record which videos were distributed in an xe2x80x9cas-runxe2x80x9d log.
Analyzing a promotional event log would allow corrections to be made to parameters in the promotional philosophy script to achieve a desired promotional philosophy. This is typically done manually, by an operator or number of operators at the main facility. The operators import the promotional event log into a computer spreadsheet or word processing application to manually determine if promotional material is distributed as desired. This manual approach is somewhat labor intensive and is susceptible to operator errors.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a promotional material distribution system in which promotional material selection algorithms are automatically updated based on a promotional event log without involving extensive manual analysis by operators.
This and other objects of the present invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the present invention by providing a promotional video system in which promotional events are logged in a promotional event log that is used subsequently to automatically update a promotional material selection algorithm.
Promotional material (e.g., video, audio, graphics, and text material promoting television services or programming or advertising a product or service) may be provided by a data source in a main facility. This information may be transmitted to a television distribution facility such as a cable system headend or direct-to-the-home satellite broadcasting facility via a satellite link or other high-bandwidth terrestrial wired or wireless communications link. The promotional material may also be provided to the television distribution facility via any suitable portable storage media (e.g., laser disk, digital versatile disk (DVD), tape, diskette, etc.). The television distribution facility may also have a data source for providing promotional material generated by the television distribution facility, or for providing promotional material generated by the main facility or other suitable facility and supplied to the television distribution facility on portable media or by any other suitable data distribution technique.
The television distribution facility may distribute the promotional material to the user television equipment (e.g., any suitable television, television and set-top box combination, or personal computer television (PC/TV), etc.) of a number of users on a dedicated channel (e.g., the Prevue Channel(copyright)) for viewing. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the television distribution facility may distribute the promotional material to the user television equipment of a number of users for display in program guide display screens by an interactive television program guide.
Regardless of how promotional events are provided by the television distribution facility, a promotional event log is maintained by the television distribution facility. The promotional event log may include entries for the time of day a promotional event was distributed or displayed, attributes of how the promotional event was performed, which script version was active at the time, the first choice of promotional event, the title of the promotional event, the actual file (e.g., text, graphic, audio or video) that was utilized in the promotional event, actual duration of the promotional event in milliseconds and frames, expected duration, display attributes, actual computed overlay (e.g., channel 16 at 4:00 P.M.), and any special play effects. The promotional event log may be maintained by a promotional event recorder in the television distribution facility. The promotional event log may be made available to the main facility via any suitable medium. For example, the promotional event log may be transmitted to the main facility via telephone dial-up, bidirectional satellite communications, or by portable storage media (e.g., floppy discs or tapes).
A promotional event log analyzer at the main facility is programmed to automatically determine if promotional material is being selected optimally based on the promotional event log. Optimal promotional material selection may occur, for example, when the likelihood of desirable promotional material selection is maximized and when the likelihood of undesirable promotional material selection is minimized. The promotional event log analyzer may, for example, be programmed with a desirable occurrences database and an undesirable occurrences database. The desirable occurrences database may include a number of rules that define desirable promotional event occurrences. The desirable occurrences database may, for example, define as desirable having a large number of promotions of a particular theme during a particular time slot, having certain promotional events in certain time slots for different time zones, having particular promotional events sent to television distribution facilities of a certain service configuration (e.g., providers of multiple pay-per-view channels as opposed to those with none), or any other suitable desirable occurrence.
The undesirable occurrences database may include a number of rules that define undesirable promotional event occurrences. The undesirable database may define as undesirable, for example, having the same promotional event distributed more than one time in a row or more than a number of times an hour, having promotional events of a particular theme during a particular time slot (e.g., adult pay-per-view promotions at 5:00 p.m.), or any other undesirable occurrence.
The promotional event log analyzer may determine if promotional material is being selected optimally by comparing the promotional event log with the desirable occurrences database and the undesirable occurrences database. Desirable and undesirable promotional event occurrences are tracked, and changes are made to the promotional material selection algorithm to reduce the likelihood of having undesirable occurrences and to increase the likelihood of having desirable occurrences. The new promotional material selection algorithm is provided to the television distribution facilities for use during promotional event selection.
Providing the promotional event log to the main facility for analysis and updating may provide for the centralized monitoring and control by a single main facility of a promotional material selection algorithm that is used by a number of television distribution facilities. Thus, a single main facility may centrally design a promotional material selection algorithm that substantially predetermines the types of advertisements presented to a large user base. Updating the promotional material selection algorithm based on a promotional event log indicating the promotional events that are actually distributed by a television distribution facility to a number of users may allow the main facility to more accurately predetermine the types of advertisements presented. In addition, providing the promotional event log to the main facility for analysis and updating may also provide for the centralized testing and design of a promotional material selection algorithm before it is used in the field.
Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.